If you’re a sucker for food holidays, you might be interested to know that tomorrow (Tuesday) is National Oyster Day! But we don’t need a whole lot of incentive to get down with a dozen or so of the succulent, briny mollusks, and it looks like the rest of the world doesn’t either — nearly two million pounds are consumed every year. And while New York may not be the bustling fishing village it once was, you can still find them in spades at many of our great restaurants and bars. So here’s where to get your slurp on during National Oyster Day — and beyond — from the dazzling under-the-sea sanctuary, Oceana, in Midtown, to the sizzlingly sexy dollar oyster mecca, Maison Premiere, in Williamsburg…

The oyster is often overlooked as the quintessential New York food, but there was a time when oyster carts were as common as food trucks and hot dog stands. Times have changed, but there’s still plenty of oysters being shucked across the city, and they happen to be the perfect summer food. Still, a good oyster is like finding a good man, and you can’t eat just any old oyster. So what to look for? Well for starters, freshness. Walk into an oyster bar to find a pile of pre-shucked oysters and you’d be wise to head to avoid the raw bar and head toward another section of the menu. A good oyster arrives artfully shucked with no ragged edges or mangled bodies, no questionable coloring or offensive smells. The perfect oyster lies in a shell its own cool liquid, ready to...

If you’re one of those people who “never eats above 14th Street” or “never travels below Canal Street,” you’re missing out on some seriously good eating these days. One of the best new arrivals is North End Grill in Battery Park City. There’s a lot to love about Danny Meyer’s newest venture, a modern American bar and grill. For starters, there’s a killer scotch selection with flights and flasks, and a raw bar. The restaurant itself is handsomely outfitted in black and white trimmings with a marble-topped eating counter facing an open kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the surrounding neighborhood. The most compelling draw is what’s coming from the kitchen. Floyd Cardoz, who helmed the kitchen at Tabla (and won Top Chef Masters Season 3), is back in action and better than ever. In Floyd’s hands, the American grill takes...

I have to admit I was never a huge fan of West Village darling, Mas Farmhouse. Don’t get me wrong: The setting’s great, undeniably cozy and romantic, but I was never bowled over by the food. So when the owner and chef, Galen Zamarra, opened Mas (La Grillade), I didn’t pay much attention. That was a mistake. Zamarra’s newest venture sits on a no man’s land stretch of Seventh Avenue South near Little Branch cocktail bar. Step inside and you find yourself in a two-story dining room with an elegant glass facade and a second-story skylight. Really, the most distinguished thing about Mas (La Grillade) is not the decor, but the potent fragrance of all different woods burning over the grill. It sets the tone for the menu, composed of simply grilled ingredients that run the gamut from lamb...